First Tour of Britain ‘Tour Ride’ Sunday

The first of two Tour of Britain amateur rides to promote The Prostate Cancer Charity takes place this Sunday, meaning that cycling fans don’t just have to watch the Tour of Britain - they can ride it, too.

Two stages of the 2009 route have been selected to give cyclists the opportunity for the first time ever to officially pre-ride the routes of two separate Tour of Britain stages and share the sense of achievement experienced by riders on this year’s event.

The Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride this Sunday is in Stoke-on-Trent, taking place ten days before the actual race, allowing riders to take on a full road stage of The Tour of Britain - in this case, Stage 5.

Beginning and ending outside the Britannia Stadium, riders can take in some of the finest scenery and toughest climbs that Staffordshire has to offer, and with two shorter distance rides also available, it’s a chance for cyclists of all abilities to enjoy a family day out riding.

Each Tour Ride, an association between The Tour of Britain and The Prostate Cancer Charity, will recreate the actual set-up of the Tour of Britain from start to finish.

Agency Exposure, which brokered the partnership between The Prostate Cancer Charity and The Tour of Britain, will manage the events, which are intended to encourage people to raise money and awareness for the charity, and inform men about prostate cancer with the aim of persuading them to go for a screening.

Both the Tour of Britain and the Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Rides will be sponsored by Highland Spring.

The Tour of Britain professional race runs from September 12-19, starting in Scunthorpe on September 12 and finishing on Whitehall, London, on September 19 and includes 16 elite professional teams, including AG2R La Mondiale, Agritubel, Barloworld, CandiTV-Marshalls Pasta, Team Columbia-HTC, CSF Navigare, Garmin-Slipstream, Halfords Bikehut, Rapha – Condor and Topsport Vlaanderen.

Race organisers have said it is the best and strongest field ever to tae part in the Tour of Britain and fans can watch it all unfold on ITV4.

The second Tour Ride will be in London on September 19 September, and to find out more about it and register, please visit www.tourride.co.uk.